[mashuto]

Well this is weird for me. Bought the vega 2020 on a whim after @Wolfhawk46 posted a graph with it, and yes that is me passing the blame.

Either way, the original vega was my first foray into so called higher end iems and the original mojo was my first foray into higher end dacs. I know it's not the level of a lot of the stuff talked about here, and I know there's pretty much zero interest in the vega and really any campfire releases other than the brand new stuff.

But this kind of feels like coming full circle here for me. And I am now spoiled for choice in the I guess current mid tier space, which is more than good enough for me. Happy to have these. My ultimate goal tends to be for big bassy, warm, smooth sound and these deliver. More importantly, something I can wear for hours without discomfort. I don't remember how I did with the dorado, but I definitely missed these little ceramic shells, and based on sound I probably should have bought these originally instead of the dorado.

I definitely think I need to put a moratorium on any more spending in this hobby for a while.

 

[dleblanc343]

*Re-post from other thread*

Unit #015 of DX320MAX Ti reporting in - got this in on Monday and right upon opening the box I was impressed. This unit is a solid hunk of metal - massive, shiny and super premium looking and feeling.

I got to listen to it with the IE900 & Tansio Mirai RGB first and compared it with the DX320 Edition X - another one of my recent favorite DAP discoveries. Will be trying with several more iem's in the coming days.


I am a huge fan of the voicing of iBasso's latest generation DAP's. They are going for transparency, dynamics, speed & in my honest opinion - class-leading resolution.

The DX320MAX TI SLAMS. It is extremely technical and essentially serves as a supercar in the porta-fi realm.

This is High Fidelity as it should be. Maybe some ears won't be able to handle the intense and exhilarating ride


For the better part of the last 3 years I've been on the lookout for a portable source that can compete with Hugo2 but nothing ever really compelling showed up. DX320x was the one to finally be sufficiently impressive but with all the added functionality, better portability & more features. DX320MAX probably even exceeds that performance of Hugo2 all while being a more practical product (in my opinion).

DX320MAX TI is voiced like the DX320x (transparent, dynamic, toe-tapping, fast) but with a more expansive stage and better imaging cues, and texturally it has more layered and incisive treble definition. It's super impressive. There is absolutely 0 smoothening of notes or transients, for better or for worse.


The 3 simple drawbacks for me where I still prefer the DX320X are the following:
- Portability
- Larger screen
- Swappable amp modules

These are the sacrifices that are needed in order to extract the highest level of performance today in mobile audio.

_____________________________________________________________________

Also of special note is the Tansio Mirai RGB. This is a fabulous iem but unfortunately against all expectations it's not up my alley.

We're talking TOTL technical ability and with the right musical pairings it's very difficult to fault. My main gripe is that the treble energy is beyond the realms of my tolerance with sub-optimal recordings or energetic tracks. The bass boost switch is basically mandatory for my enjoyment, but I wish there was a way of adding a low-pass filter to cut the highs down a bit (and consequentially I might not even need to boost the bass with this).

For any type of non-rock or metal music, this iem will shine. Its struggles are really found in the treble which is ironic as it is extremely impressive and in top 5 discussion if the music is well recorded or music is on the tamer side; but as soon as things ramp up and passages become complex, noisy and layered, the treble seems to falter a bit and compression becomes audible. It seems that the large amount of EST's are a blessing and a curse here, where perhaps copious amounts of power would be required for authoritative handling - I am not sure, but it does get quite bright.

For the few who have asked me how it compares to Penon Impact, I actually have to admit to preferring the Impact by a decent margin for its overall stable performance, though RGB with singer-songwriter/ vocal focused music is probably as good as it gets in what I have heard so far.

I can't wait to receive my Annihilator back from @freeryder05 tomorrow - it will be fun to compare side-by-side and I will report back.

 

[552609]

Well this is weird for me. Bought the vega 2020 on a whim after @Wolfhawk46 posted a graph with it, and yes that is me passing the blame.

Either way, the original vega was my first foray into so called higher end iems and the original mojo was my first foray into higher end dacs. I know it's not the level of a lot of the stuff talked about here, and I know there's pretty much zero interest in the vega and really any campfire releases other than the brand new stuff.

But this kind of feels like coming full circle here for me. And I am now spoiled for choice in the I guess current mid tier space, which is more than good enough for me. Happy to have these. My ultimate goal tends to be for big bassy, warm, smooth sound and these deliver. More importantly, something I can wear for hours without discomfort. I don't remember how I did with the dorado, but I definitely missed these little ceramic shells, and based on sound I probably should have bought these originally instead of the dorado.

I definitely think I need to put a moratorium on any more spending in this hobby for a while.

Sorry, not sorry haha. I like both the Vega and the Dorado (which are extremely tiny and comfy, at least for me). Then again, I've never heard anything from Campfire I've hated - though I hear the Orbit isn't great.

 

[Rockwell75]

I probably should have bought these originally instead of the dorado.

How are they different?

The Dorado 2020 is still one of my favorite IEMs and gets regular ear time from me even after all these years. The ceramic does indeed impart some sonic magic. That said I always preferred the look of he white ceramic and the Vega 2020 is the one Campfire IEM that has eluded me for demo after all this time. You may have or just be about to convice me to grab a set myself...I do love single DDs.

 

[Voltriant]

I have one of those Miter cases, for 6 IEMs or 4 IEMs + DAP. I love it.

I love the Miter cases I have two bricks for 1 DAP and 2 IEM, a flat one for 4 IEM or 1 DAP and 2 IEM, and the flat one for 6 IEM or 4 IEM and 1 DAP.
I use the bricks for traveling which keep my IEMs and DAPs safe.

 

[mashuto]

Sorry, not sorry haha. I like both the Vega and the Dorado (which are extremely tiny and comfy, at least for me). Then again, I've never heard anything from Campfire I've hated - though I hear the Orbit isn't great.

Campfire in general was my introduction to higher end IEM audio. Over my handful of years in this hobby I have had the vega, atlas, polaris, andromeda gold, solaris 2020, dorado 2020, honeydew, and have cycled back now to the vega 2020. I don't think I have hated any of them, but the honeydew really isnt particularly all that good unless you just like bass, but its kind of bloated. I also really didnt connect with the solaris, but thats more of a personal preference thing. The dorado I liked, but I found the treble a bit sharp. My dorado actually went to Jeff.

I would love to try the trifecta, but their recent releases are clearly priced to match the direction this market is moving and I am just not one to spend that much on a single IEM. I would much rather have a handful of mid tier stuff. Thats where the value is for me. I know campfire has gotten a bad rap and their releases can certainly be polarizing. But other than their new pricing scheme, I definitely still like them.

How are they different?

The Dorado 2020 is still one of my favorite IEMs and gets regular ear time from me even after all these years. The ceramic does indeed impart some sonic magic. That said I always preferred the look of he white ceramic and the Vega 2020 is the one Campfire IEM that has eluded me for demo after all this time. You may have or just be about to convice me to grab a set myself...I do love single DDs.

As you are well aware its been a while since I have owned the dorado, since my pair went to you. So I will have to go mostly on memory. But over time I have definitely found that I much just prefer the big bass but likely without the equal boost in treble. I think I just prefer more of what would be called an L shape or downward sloping signature. The dorado to me I think pushed a bit too much in that sharpness in the treble, in a similar way that the 64 trio did. Not sibilant or bad or anything, but just a bit too much for my preferences.

So I would guess that the vega is similar to the dorado, but without the extra treble sharpness and clarity the BA provided. Theres still enough treble here that it doesnt feel muffled or anything, but I dont think the extension or clarity is going to wow anyone, especially around these parts. But I do think they likely play to my personal preferences more... though I am not sure I would have been able to completely identify it at the time, since I was absolutely looking for hybrids back then as just "better" and now I definitely seem to be drawn to simpler driver configurations and single DDs.

I also agree, I always preferred the white as well.

 

[Neweymatt]

As a so called non believer in cables really making much of a difference, that is the one area I actually do think cables can make a difference. Resistance and impedance can definitely cause volume mismatches, which I do think can easily be heard as "better" since of course, louder = better. But also since BA drivers can change their frequency response based on impedance, then I do think cables absolutely can change things there. But to me thats a specific thing and not down to any materials or shielding or whatever, and certainly not based on cost.

Anyways, thats all I will say. I know everyone hears differently and I have no desire to argue or even try and convince others if they dont agree. Only that I am happy that its not an area I feel any need to spend money on personally, outside of ergonomics, looks, and connectivity.

Well all I have is my own experience with cables to share, and I’m recently convinced that they can make a difference in what you hear.

For my first 3 years in this hobby I focused on acquiring sources, headphones and IEMs, as I think that’s where you find the most impactful differences for spending your money. I’ve always been fairly agnostic in the cable debate, assuming that there had to be some reason people would pay $1000s for cables, just never hearing or understanding that for myself. When I got a chance to buy a EA Eros S second hand a few months ago, I figured it was finally time to get a better cable that would at least work well with most of my IEMs even if it didn’t “improve” any of them.

I didn’t actually spend much time cable rolling with it to see if/how much difference I could hear vs stock cables I had, except that I really liked the even deeper soundstage I could perceive with my A12t, so I left it there.

It was when I had the Phonix tour unit for a few weeks that I did a few experiments. Using that IEM with its stock cable balanced out of my Jotunheim2 desktop amp could at times push it too far into harshness with specific tracks, which I guess is not surprising, I didn’t hear that with other sources. So I thought I’d try the Eros S with the Phonix to see if it made a difference with the Jot2, and indeed it did tame that treble very nicely. I went back and forth multiple times over several days just to be sure and it was as the same improvement every time with the Eros S.

Yes, this is a corner case, and you could solve that harshness issue with Phonix in many other ways, but the difference I heard definitively exists, and it was a meaningful improvement.

My takeaway going forward is that cables can and do make differences to what you hear, it’s just a matter of how much you want to pay for it.

 

[main character]

TAKE CONTROL

Bane: Gotham, take control… take control of your city. … This is the instrument of your liberation. … Identify yourself to the world.

 

[wolfstar76]

TAKE CONTROL





Bane: Gotham, take control… take control of your city. … This is the instrument of your liberation. … Identify yourself to the world.

Now, you can smell the music?

 

[bigbeans]

Now, you can smell the music?

Aroma Audio is in big trouble.

 

[aaf evo]

Aroma Audio is in big trouble.

 

[main character]

Click here!!

It has Electrostatic something..

 

[Tristy]

Well this is weird for me. Bought the vega 2020 on a whim after @Wolfhawk46 posted a graph with it, and yes that is me passing the blame.

Either way, the original vega was my first foray into so called higher end iems and the original mojo was my first foray into higher end dacs. I know it's not the level of a lot of the stuff talked about here, and I know there's pretty much zero interest in the vega and really any campfire releases other than the brand new stuff.

But this kind of feels like coming full circle here for me. And I am now spoiled for choice in the I guess current mid tier space, which is more than good enough for me. Happy to have these. My ultimate goal tends to be for big bassy, warm, smooth sound and these deliver. More importantly, something I can wear for hours without discomfort. I don't remember how I did with the dorado, but I definitely missed these little ceramic shells, and based on sound I probably should have bought these originally instead of the dorado.

I definitely think I need to put a moratorium on any more spending in this hobby for a while.

Give them about 60 hours and they really start to come into their own. A very different and seemingly “mature” signature compared to their predecessor the Atlas but an out and unashamedly L shaped signature that is quite easy on the ear. Ultimately preferred the Dorado 2020 for going in the same direction as atlas albeit more technical but you can’t knock Vega 2020 for the signature it was going for.

 

[Scorpio1957]

For those that prefer the cyborg look.

 

[552609]

For those that prefer the cyborg look.

I just don't get the purpose...Headphones, sure. Filter? OK, but it doesn't cover your nose, so no point there. Weird design? Yep.